DCGB EP 16 - Make move

"Then what brings you here, Noelle?" Yuji's inquiry cut through the tension.

"Huh? Who gave you the right to address me so informally? I am of noble blood. You should refer to me as Lady Noelle," Noelle retorted, her irritation evident upon hearing Yuji's casual tone. She held herself to the standards of her noble lineage and couldn't fathom allowing commoners to address her so casually.

"If you're displeased, that's your own affair. I couldn't care less," Yuji replied, his expression betraying his boredom. With that, he donned his armor once more and resumed his halberd training, turning away from the conversation.

"Sir!" Noelle's tone heightened in alarm as she witnessed Yuji's actions.

"Brat!" Sylph interjected with a disdainful flick of her tongue.

Initially, Noelle had hardly spared Sylph a glance, her attention ensnared by Yuji's charismatic presence. However, now that Sylph was in plain view, she was taken aback. Never did she expect to encounter one of the Four Great Spirits, especially one like Sylph, the Spirit of Wind.

"How delightful," Noelle couldn't help but smile, charmed by Sylph's ethereal beauty.

Meanwhile, Yuji continued his halberdplay, paying no heed to the drama unfolding around him. His movements were fluid and precise, akin to a seasoned warrior who had faced countless battles.

After a while, Yuji decided to halt his training and remove his armor, feeling the heat of exertion. Sensing that it was almost time for everyone to awaken, he made his way back to the headquarters of the Black Thunder Brigade.

As Yuji journeyed back, he suddenly heard a sound akin to rushing water. Intrigued, he followed the sound and soon came upon Noelle practicing magic. It was clear from her practice that she was making little progress.

"Need a hand?" Yuji offered, opting to extend a helping hand because he was determined to win Noelle's affections instead of Asta's.

"What-?" Noelle, lost in her concentration, lost control of her magic, causing the water ball she was manipulating to hurtle towards Yuji.

Swoosh!

Reacting swiftly, Yuji drew his black halberd and deflected the water ball, narrowly avoiding being struck.

Realizing that she had hit Yuji, Noelle hastily attempted to save face. "I warned you earlier. I'm not to blame. You're the one at fault for intervening."

Yuji, holding his halberd, felt a twinge of annoyance at Noelle's attitude. However, when he envisioned winning her heart, he pushed aside his irritation.

"Fine, then why were you practicing magic alone?" Yuji inquired, seeking a reason to continue their conversation.

"Yuji, don't pay attention to this girl at all," Sylph expressed her strong dissatisfaction. She felt deeply hurt that Yuji seemed to only care about other girls. As the spirit who had made a pact with him, he should prioritize her more than these other girls. Sylph felt extremely disheartened.

"Come on, Sylph. When you see someone in distress, don't we have to help? That's just human nature, right?" Yuji tried to find a reason to talk to Noelle.

"...," Sylph looked at Yuji with a displeased expression.

"Alright, then does Noelle want me to help?" Yuji said, putting away his sword before walking closer to Noelle.

"Tell him to call me 'Miss Noelle'!!"

"And I don't need help from commoners like you," Noelle said, releasing a large water ball, but instead of lunging towards Yuji, it enveloped Noelle. Then, it floated up into the sky, expanding into a massive sphere.

'Plot twist,' Yuji thought to himself as he took a breath, looking at Noelle inside the giant water ball. Noelle seemed unable to control her own magical power, causing her magic to become chaotic.

The giant water ball was so huge that it prompted almost all members of the Black Lightning Unit to come out and watch, including Asta.

"I guess we need to act fast," Yuji said before putting on his black knight armor and creating particles of light at his feet. Then, he performed a move as if serving a tennis ball, flying straight towards the water ball containing Noelle.

When Yuji plunged into the water ball, he could feel the immense pressure of the water crushing his body, but thanks to his Device, the Orichalcos, his injured body continuously recovered. And it wasn't just recovery; his body also became stronger, thanks to the special ability of the armor, Regeneration Overdose , to turn damage into his strength.

When Yuji rushed to Noelle inside the water ball, he gritted his teeth against the pain, and when he reached Noelle, he prepared to leave. However, the water pressure prevented him from escaping. Eventually, he decided to use that technique.

"Sanctuary."

Yuji creates a crystal-like octahedron used as a barrier to protect him and others to reduce the water pressure before embracing Noelle and propelling himself out.

After Yuji and Noelle emerged, the water ball gradually dissipated.

Yuji, holding onto Noelle, floated down in front of Yami before laying her on the ground to check her breathing. When he noticed she wasn't breathing, he thought she might have inhaled water into her lungs. He then began performing artificial respiration by gently pressing on Noelle's lips.

After performing artificial respiration for a while, Noelle finally coughed up water and began breathing again. When Noelle woke up and the first thing she saw was Yuji's face, her face turned red before she quickly got up and backed away from Yuji.

"What are you doing to me, you descendant of nobility?" Noelle complained immediately, thinking that Yuji was harming her body while she was unconscious.

"I just gave you artificial respiration. You should thank me," Yuji sighed wearily as he had exerted himself to make Noelle fall in love with him, but she reacted like this instead. It hurt him just the same.

"Shut up, annoying girl," Yamii retorted before turning to speak to Yuji. "You did very well, Brat."

After being scolded by Yamii, Noelle, who had regained her consciousness, stood still with a sad expression. "I messed up again."

" Noelle," Yuji turned to look at Noelle.

"..."

"You, it's not like anyone said it's you who can't control magic," Yuji spoke softly.

"Look around. Did anyone say it was you?"

"If you can't control it, just practice. We're the lowest-ranking magic knight squad anyway."

Yuji tried to encourage Noelle, which made her lift her head and look around at everyone before realizing that no one actually criticized her. Instead, they were all offering her encouragement, which made her feel comforted.

After pondering for a moment, Noelle smiled and said, "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Lady Noelle? You commoner."

Although Noelle's words sounded arrogant as usual, her tone was different, and this made Yuji realize that his efforts had finally succeeded.

Everything seemed to have ended well, and it should have stayed that way...

"Hey, Yuji, who's that little guy?" Yami asked, pointing at Sylph.

"Oh, this is Sylph. The spirit of the wind," Yuji introduced.

"Wow, so cute! Can I, big sister, hold her,?" Vanessa exclaimed.

"Wow, Yuji, this is amazing!"

Other members of the Black Bulls quickly gathered around Sylph, who was perched on Yuji's shoulder, as soon as Yamii mentioned her.

"Stop..."

"I told you to stop, you humans," Sylph spoke as she used her wind magic to blow away everyone around her.

"Hmph. Don't bother trying to touch me. Only Yuji can touch me. Remember that," Sylph said arrogantly as she blew a gust of breath out, looking disdainful.

Afterward, they went their separate ways to attend to their own matters. Meanwhile, Yuji made his way to the kitchen to find something to eat.

As he entered the kitchen, he found Charmy sitting and munching on something.

"Hey, Charmy, got anything to eat?" Yuji asked, eyeing Charmy thoughtfully. He understood that Charmy wasn't just a child; she also had an adult form. While she could transform between a child and an adult, she was primarily interested in food. So, he didn't consider her as one of his potential romantic interests.

"Help yourself to anything, but don't touch my food," Charmy replied seriously before turning back to her own meal.

"Fine," Yuji sighed wearily.

--

After concluding his morning meal, Yuji retraced his steps to the central chamber of the Black Bulls' stronghold, where he happened upon Asta and Magna engaged in conversation.

"Ah, Yuji, your timing couldn't be better," Asta exclaimed upon spotting him.

"Yuji, have you met Maomao? Captain Yami tasked me with looking after you all," Magna chimed in. "So, today, I'll be giving you a guided tour of our headquarters."

With Magna's announcement, they soon noticed Maomao and Noelle strolling together, their camaraderie palpable.

"Maomao, what's the deal with you and Noelle?" Yuji whispered to Maomao as they approached.

"Just shooting the breeze, Yuji," Maomao replied with a playful grin. "Seems like you're awfully intrigued by her."

"You won't go spilling our secrets, will you?" Yuji asked, his tone serious.

"Of course not, I'm not that naive," Maomao retorted swiftly, recognizing the gravity of the situation for both of them.

"Excellent."

"Alright, let's move, rookies! Time for a thorough exploration of our headquarters!" Magna bellowed enthusiastically, taking the lead with everyone in tow.